The present invention relates in general to automotive drive shaft assemblies including joints such as slip joints or constant velocity universal joints and more particularly to covers or closure members for closing the open ends of such joints.
As is well known, some joints in drive shaft assemblies have open ends which need to be closed by closure members in order to retain lubricant such as grease within the joints and to prevent the ingress of dirt and moisture during the storage and the conveyance of the assemblies.
A prior art automotive drive shaft assembly 10 equipped with such a closure member is illustrated in FIG. 1 as comprising a drive shaft 12 and a joint 14 having a hollow generally cylindrical joint housing 16. One end the joint housing 16 is formed with a flange 18 for bolting to a flanged shaft (not shown). The flange 18 is provided with bores 20 for receiving fitting bolts. The end of the joint 14 remote from the flange 18 is closed by a flexible sealing muff or boot 22 attached by retaining rings 24 (only one is shown and designated) to the drive shaft 12 and to the end of the joint housing 16. The other end of the joint 14 adjacent the flange 18 is closed by a cover or closure member 26 which is placed on the outer side face of the flange 18. The closure member 26 is provided with bores 28 capable of being aligned with the bores 20 in the flange 18, respectively and attached by bolts 30 and nuts 32 to the flange. In installing the assembly 10 on a vehicle, the closure member 26 is attached to the foregoing flanged shaft together with the joint housing 16, being interposed between the mating flanges.
The drive shaft assembly thus described and shown has the disadvantage that its installation on a vehicle is complicated by the necessity to remove the bolts 30 and the nuts 32, resulting in a relatively expensive installation cost.
Other known closure members include a pressed-in type and a screwed-in type. However, the pressed-in type closure member has the disadvantage that it requires a high demensional accuracy, and the screwed-in type closure member has the disadvantage that it requires a costly thread cutting, both resulting in a relatively expensive manufacturing cost.
A yet other closure member is also known which is provided with a plurality of plastically deformable, elongated extensions which, in assembling the closure member to a corresponding flange, are plastically bent in a manner to engage, at the free ends thereof, the inner face of the flange and thereby attach the closure member to the flange. However, this closure member has the disadvantage that the bending of the extensions must be made at the very time when the closure member is attached to the flange and furthermore the closure member of this type tends to have play relative to the flange.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an automotive drive shaft assembly including a joint and an improved and novel closure member for closing an open end of the joint, which closure member is readily installed in place and which, once installed, remains so installed unless the removal thereof is intended.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automotive drive shaft assembly including a joint and an improved and novel closure member of the above-mentioned character, which closure member is of unitary construction and adapted to be installed with a snap or resilient action.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automotive drive shaft assembly including a joint and an improved and novel closure member of the above-mentioned character, which closure member effects reduction in the manufacturing and installation expense of the drive shaft assembly.